Posted on 02/15/2015 6:22:35 PM PST by presidio9
'I believe the Russians are mobilizing right now for a war that they think is going to happen in five or six years —not that they're going to start a war in five or six years, but I think they are anticipating that things are going to happen, and that they will be in a war of some sort, of some scale, with somebody within the next five or six years."
So says Lt. Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe....
"Strong Europe!" reads a sign on one of the walls. Next to it is the U.S. Army Europe insignia, a burning sword set against a blue shield. The two signs represent the strategic framework the three-star general has introduced—building on America's decades-long role on the Continent—since taking command last year of the 30,000 or so U.S. soldiers stationed in Europe.
The U.S. military presence in Europe is more vital at this moment than it has been in many years. American engagement is essential if the West is to deter a revanchist Russia that has set out to "redraw the boundaries of Europe," Gen. Hodges says with a native Floridian's drawl....
The Russians have "got some forces in Transnistria," he says of the state that broke away from Moldova in the 1990s. "They've got forces in Georgia. And I think they view China as their existential threat, so they've got a lot of capacity out there." The Russian military is thus already somewhat stretched, and Moscow had to carve out from existing units the battalion task groups currently arrayed near eastern Ukraine. Yet "they are clearly on a path to develop, to increase, their capacity," Gen. Hodges says. Add to this expansion that "they've got very good equipment, extremely good communications equipment, their [electronic-warfare] capability, T-80 tanks." How long will it take for Russia to reach its desired military strength? "I think within another two or three years they will have that capacity," he says.. -SNIP-
And no one in US Intel knew about it until days after the event. Intel paid the price of pissing off the collectors, who suddenly became deaf.
Debunked.
Once classified 1967 Soviet report estimated that from the moment the 2nd Guards and others crossed through Fulda Gap, they would be at the English Channel in 72 hours ... despite the use of tactical and strategic nukes by both sides.
“Russians are also part Asian, and they have their own way of doing business.”
Money quote. Everyone should remember this. Russians are not Europeans.
I see you can put a lot of trolling words in order trying to dismiss and harass people my claiming they are silly panic spreaders.
So lets come back to the topic. Is Lt. Gen. Frederick “Ben” Hodges a silly delusional alarmist? A frightened maiden scared of a mouse?
His “weakness” quite possibly is the reason for the Ukrainian problem in the first place. Ukraine is just irrelevant to him. It does not impinge on his project which is Jihad. Neither side in Ukraine is Moslem. It doesn’t affect ISIS or Iran either way.
To add ... it is not just General Hodges.
Here is an article from 10 months ago where General Breedlove clashed with Obama over pretty much the same issues. It is not a new thing.
So what is it? Code Pink style “Generals are military industrial complex slave alarmists”?
In all fairness, Russians have a split personality: half European and half Asian. And they are uncomfortable with either.
It is said that when they are enjoying the wide open spaces of the East, and reveling in the freedom of the open range, all they can think about is the sophistication of Paris. Likewise, when visiting in the West, they quickly tire of all the order and civility (while stuffing themselves in a bistro), and long for the horseback, and roughing it.
In their culture, they will often swing to the western way, but soon will revert to “Slavophilism”, rejecting everything western. They have done this since Peter the Great, and his bizarre tour of Europe, to steal technology.
But it has been noted that “When a Russian acts like a European, he is lying. But when he behaves as an Asian, you can believe him.”
Finally, there is the German quote, that “Russia remains Russia” (Russland bleibt Russland).
Putin isn’t bluffing. This war will escalate if NATO arms Ukraine and if NATO decides to fight Russian troops in Ukraine then it will most likely go nuclear. Why would NATO want to commit suicide? Nobody does but it could end that way once things get set in motion.
Never going to happen as nukes are political weapons, not military weapons. No nation state will ever drop a big one again. Terrorists - that is another issue.
The war will escalate if we don’t as well... if you keep feeding wild animals they will demand more and more.
Russia claims they do not have troops in Ukraine. They claim that these are “rebels” taking WW2 tanks of podiums, fixing them up and thus achieving a tank force more numerous than large European nations such as France or the UK. Also tanks and artillery are supposedly coming from local sports and hunting stores.
What if there were a sports and hunting store selling Javelins in Kyiv?
“The Russian is a delightful individual until he tucks in his shirt. As an Oriental he is charming; it is only when he insists on being treated as the most easterly of Westerns rather than westerly of Easterns that he becomes a racial anomaly most difficult to handle. One never knows which side of his nature is going to turn up next.”
This quote is thought to have originated during the Cold War but was actually written by Rudyard Kipling in 1890.
Read Ezekiel 38 and 39.
And the vast majority have no clue unfortunately.
And they don't even know who's putting the hook in their jaw.
See:
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was negotiated and concluded during the last years of the Cold War and established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe (from the Atlantic to the Urals) and mandated the destruction of excess weaponry. The treaty proposed equal limits for the two “groups of states-parties”, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact.
[....]
Suspension by Russia
After Russia was not willing to support the US missile defense plans in Europe, Putin warned a “moratorium” on the treaty in his April 26, 2007 address. Then he raised most of his points for rewriting the treaty during the Extraordinary Conference of States Parties to the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, held in Vienna on June 11–15 at Russia’s initiative.[13] As his requests were not met during this conference, Putin issued a decree intended to suspend the observance of its treaty obligations on July 14, 2007, effective 150 days later, stating that it was the result of “extraordinary circumstances (...) which affect the security of the Russian Federation and require immediate measures,” and notified NATO and its members.[14][15] The suspension applies to the original CFE treaty, as well as to the follow-up agreements.[13]
Whiskey, what do you think about the new Defense Secretary? He was the one driving the effort of Ukraine giving away their nuclear weapons.
I have optimistic and pessimistic view.
optimistic) He made Ukraine give away their nukes and is going to work towards Ukraine not being destroyed for following his push.
pessimistic) He is a commie working to destroy the western world
I looked up the polls and these say mostly everyone in the USA wants to help Ukraine. Obama makes some noises and yet Canada has helped Ukraine more than USA! Canada! is very small compared to the USA. It baffles my mind how Obama can say something and people are content when he does less than Canada!
Given Obama’s peculiar and contradictory communist and Islamist background, it appears likely that any Secretary of Defense is going to be a gelded figure in the Obama Administration. That said, this DoD Secretary is an abysmal choice, even if he wants to help the Ukraine.
Yup. It trains and arms them.
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